Thousands evacuated in China ahead of Typhoon Chan-hom

Beijing, July 10: Tens of thousands of people in China have been evacuated, trains and flights cancelled and seaside resorts ordered to remain shut as Typhoon Chan-hom heads toward the southeastern coast.

The National Meteorological Center issued a red alert, the highest, on Friday morning for Chan-Hom, whose center was spotted 550 km southeast off the coast of Zhejiang Province at 5 a.m. Friday.

Fishing vessels also returned to harbor for shelter.

"Typhoon Chan-hom is expected to make landfall by early Saturday at Fujian or Zhejiang province," said weather official.

Authorities in seaside city of Zhoushan halted bus services. Several tourist spots also were closed. In the nearby port city of Ningbo, 23 flights were canceled, the airport said.

Southern China already was hit by Typhoon Linfa that displaced 56,000 people in southern Guangdong province on Thursday. It brought torrential rain to the coastal area. No casualties have been reported.